It Was Time
by CosplayUK
Summary: As Yugi faces Yami for the last time, to see if they are ready to separate, Yugi has a moment of weakness and realises just what life would be like, without the man who taught him about love. Yami x Yugi


_Note: _Sorry about the quality of writing folks, I wrote this at 3am in about an hour but I knew if I waited till the next day I would have forgotten about it. Please, don't flame if you don't like the couple. I do. My story, my opinion. Enough said.

_~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*_

"_Thank you Yugi. I know you tried everything in your power to set me free."_

Those words broke Yugi's heart right then and there. His other half, his friend, his companion and the love of his life was thanking him for something he had not done. Yugi had tried to be brave like everyone else; he knew that this duel was about saving the Pharaoh and setting his spirit free from a world in which it did not belong. He nodded and smiled at Joey's speeches about the greater good, he sympathised and comforted Tea on her pain at losing a friend; he even vowed to Kaiba that he would be the winner of this duel.

And yet...

Here he was. Lying to the one person who truly mattered in this whole ordeal. He was lying to the one he cherished above all else, because he wasn't ready. He wasn't ready to say goodbye to the one who had changed his life, who had been the reason he made new friends, became the duelist and the person he was today, but more importantly, the one who taught him love. How to feel your heart racing so hard, it feels as if it is trying to break free of its human prison, a love where you take a chance, take a risk and know in your heart, for better or worse, that risk is worth the chance of what you seek. But now, there was nothing to comfort Yugi, no lesson of love he could think of to justify his desire to lose this duel on purpose, to keep the Pharaoh, his Pharaoh on Earth, where they both knew he did not belong.

As he stared up at Slifer, the all-mighty beast staring down upon him, the smoke just starting to clear from his summoning, the beast watched him with those small, yellow eyes, his tail swaying behind him, a creature that was feared and loathed by so many. The Pharaoh believed that with Slifer, Yugi had no chance to win and that it was all over, yet Yugi knew differently, he had known the Pharaoh would summon Slifer one more and as he gazed up, he knew he was not the only one who knew. In its eyes, he could see an almost disappointment, of sorrow. Could....could Slifer know of what Yugi planned to do? It was just a hologram....but...it was still Slifer, the Egyptian God and right now, it was looking at Yugi, knowing and urging him to do what both knew had to be done.

But how!? How could he give up everything!? If he lost him...then...he'd lose everything! He'd lose his faith, his courage, his friends and his love, he couldn't lose all that; he just couldn't! However, as he turned his gaze, he could see everyone...cheering for him. Friends who had been enemies, friends who had been rivals and friends who had been with him from the start, they all were there for him, but as Yugi looked closer, he could see the tears they were holding back. They felt his pain, they all hated this, they hated losing their friend, they hated not understanding why he had to go, but unlike Yugi, they were willing to do what was best for their friend, for his sake and not for their own. Yugi felt his heart sink as he realised what he was doing, but even so, he convinced himself it was different for him, he loved this man! He had for so long! They had never kissed, never confessed or even held hands, but both knew who the other's heart beated for, it was impossible for deny it to their hearts, perhaps to each other, but deep within, there were no secrets to keep in the dark.

Yugi gazed back up at the man in front of him, his proud and strong eyes now saddened and lost, believing his fate to be decided already. That look, it was that look that was killing Yugi the most, how could he call what he was doing for love? To break the Pharaoh's heart? To deny him of what he had always wanted, peace? How could a love be so selfish?! Yugi's hand trembled and his vision began to blur with the dangerous promise of tears. Was this really what he wanted? To trap his love for eternity? To deny him his heart wished? Biting his lower lip, Yugi barely held back a sob, torn between the ache of losing his love and the agony of the idea of that same man being trapped forever, to never see the day of rest and peace. His knees soon joined his trembling hands and he just wanted to scream, he just wanted to cry his heart out and to wake up from all this, to find the puzzle still around his neck and for everything to be perfect. But things weren't perfect, Yugi had been given the power of fate and it was killing him slowly. But as he looked once more into those eyes, he could see something that made his decision all that much clearer. As he gazed upon the man that had become his world, he saw his eyes, just like Yugi's, also made the crushing promise of tears. Yugi was making him cry, how could he defend this as an act of love anymore? He was making his partner, his other half; break down slowly with each passing second. Yugi clenched his hands together and trembled with self-loathing and opened his eyes, pain but determination stirring within them; and as his Pharaoh gazed back, the ancient spirit's eyes widened slightly, before softening once more. But no longer did they ache of pain and misery, but of a realization for what Yugi was about to do, Yugi had made the choice, he would break his own heart, in order to let his other half's one more on.

_His Pharaoh..._

_His Yami..._

_His Atem..._

_His World..._

How he had done him wrong. But as Yugi let the tears now freely fall down his cheeks, he knew no more would he deny him of his freedom; and as Yugi played his final card, he knew there would be days he would weep, days he would beg to see his love just once more...

_But it was time to end this._

_It was time to play out destiny_

_It was time..._

For Goodbye.


End file.
